Why the country of Turkey is named after a bird

In Turkey we call India “Hindistan”, country of Turkey. Of course in English, Turkey shares its name with a large bird originating from the Americas. But those aren’t the only two countries named “turkey” in other languages; a connection that does have a lot to do with a bird – one that’s not even a turkey – the guineafowl. One redditor explains:

The bird was named after the region. In the 15th century or so traders started to bring Guinea Fowl from eastern Africa to Turkey where they were then exported to Europe. The birds became known as Turkey-hens. When colonists went to North America they thought the Turkey looked similar and so it too was called Turkey.

The birds’ introduction to other countries by trade is apparent in its many names. In Turkish, the name translates to Indian (as in where Delhi is, not Native American). Same with French (the word went from coq d’Inde (chicken of India) to its modern shortened form, dinde). In Malay, it’s known as a Dutch Chicken and in Portuguese its name means Peru bird.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

COMMENT

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.

About Anil Polat

I'm the blogger and computer security engineer who writes foXnoMad while on a journey to visit every country in the world. I'll show you the tips, tricks, and tech you can use to travel smarter. Read More